Dodgy p.e. Teachers

Now that you have to stay on at school till you're 18, I honestly think that more care should be taken when employing P.E. teachers as I believe some schools still make older pupils take part in lessons beyond 16.

I am out of school, but I had problems with a P.E. teacher who made my life a misery between 14-16, and this was all bought back to me not long ago by reading this:

https://www.mylondon.news/news/east-london-news/second-romford-teacher-named-historic-27578890

There are numerous references to this case, and when one set of parents complained they were told the teacher in question was "a very hygienic man".

Would schools still excuse this sort of behaviour or make excuses for it today I wonder, and how many students would feel able to complain?. I know I couldn't.

Absolutely not. For a start, all teachers are DBS checked which means if you are on the child sex offenders register you can not teach. In addition teachers are encouraged to raise safe-guarding concerns anonymously be that for children, staff, senior leadership or even governors. Schools which get branded as inadequate often do so on safe guarding concerns, usually along the lines of adequate reporting systems in place or the way in which concerns are dealt with.

As for PE staff. They are no longer permitted to enter changing rooms and as teachers we are encouraged not to be in the same space as individual children for everyone's safety. It is worth pointing out that some children make unfounded complaints against staff too so everyone is wary.

I can't say this wouldn't happen again, but it is massively less likely. That said, the biggest issue right now is in mental hospitals, especially privately run ones and in inadequate accommodation providers for orphaned or vulnerable children. I don't like to say it but I am sure this still goes on in parts of our society against those society turns a blind eye towards.

I hope you are right, but teachers are a bit like doctors - they are a tight knit group who often turn a blind eye to bad behaviour, and cover for each other. Certainly at my school two other teachers knew about the PE masters behaviour (all three I suspect were gay, the PE man certainly was). On a school trip once, one of them even made a joke of it. I am not saying that all gay teachers are predators, but the older the pupils are, the more difficult it gets - a 17 year old student, a 30 year old teacher?. I agree with you about abuse in Childrens homes and probably young offenders institutions as well.

No. We are not a tight knit group, at least not in that sense and the fact that we have to show that we have read the first part of the Keeping Children Safe in Education by law each year and show that we have done it shows the professions commitment to safeguarding. All schools have safeguarding tools that allow anyone to report a concern without needing to speak directly to anyone.

I am not saying it couldn't happen, but I would be very surprised. You only have to read the list of teachers who are struck off the register each year and the reasons for it to see that many get pushed out.
https://www.gov.uk/search/all?order=updated-newest&organisations%5B%5D=teaching-regulation-agency

If you go through the list, most of the issues are caused by offences committed outside of school that could bring the profession into disrepute. I have been through a dozen or so cases and haven't come across an issue of indecency in school.